Improvement in car-couplings



A. L MOYER.

Gar-Couplings.

' Patented'SepLI down by hand.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER L. MOYER, OF SHERMAN. TEXAS.

" IMPROVEMENT m CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 154,705. datedSeptember 1, 1874; application filed J uly 17, 1874.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER. L. MOYER, ofiSherm'an in the county of Grayson and State of Texas, have invented acertain Improvement in Gar-Couplings, of which the fol-' lowing is aspecification: a

This invention relates to link-and-pin car-. couplings of the kindadapted for automatic operation in the act of coupling.

.be raised to allow the link to pass behind or under it, after which thearm of the lifter 'becoming disengaged from the linkthe pin drops of itsown accord, returning the lifter to its normal position.Second,the'eonnection between the pin and the lifter is such that, inlifting the pin from above to uncouple,the lifter will be depressed atthe same time to permit free exit .of the link, in which respect it isdistinguished from' the former "combination of a pin and litter, wherethe lifter operated upon the pin; but the pin didnot operate onthelifter, so thatin uncoupling the latter-had to be turned Anotheressential difference between my combination and that heretofore knownconsists in the use of a horizontallydisposed lifter, having acurved armextending around the end of the draw-head into its in consequence of itscurved lifting-arm the cuttingof a slot in the draw-head (heretoforerequired) is dispensed with, and the drawhead left full strength at thepoint where it is especially desirable. Third, in certain means forlifting the pin either from the side or top of aear, and for enablingthe operator to adjust. and hold the protruding '-end of the link in therequired position for the drawllead of an approaching car, without thenecessity of taking hold of the link with his hand.

in the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of thedraw-heads of two cars coupled together, showing the platform only ofone of the cars and the entire end. of the other, with the means forraising the pin and tilting the link. Fig. 2 is an axial section in-rectaugular in cross-section, somewhat elongated in the direction ofthe draft, for the sake of greater strength, and passing throughsuitable apertures in the top and bottom walls of thedraw-l1ead, is withits head pivoted to the forward arm of a lever, (J, which is fulcrumedbetween standards 0 on the draw-head back of the piu.- The reararm ofthis lever is connected by -a descending link, I), passing through asuitable slot in the drawhead to the long rearwardly-projecting arm ofthe lifter E, which is pivoted to lugs on the under side of the headaround the mouth of the draw-head. The short arm of the lifter is curvedaround into the mouth of the drawhead, terminating in a fork, throughwhich the coupling-pin passes. When the coupling-pin is down, thiscurved arm of the lifter stands up in front of the link-cavity, so thatit will be struck by an entering-link, and as it is beingdepressedthereby the long arm of the lifter gives, through the link 1), a quickoscillation to the lever G, which, in turn,.promptly lifts the pin, sothat the link may pass under and behind it. As soon as the end of thelink has passed beyond the line of the pin, it alsopasses the forkedend'of the eurved'arm of the lifter, and the pin descends,returning thelifter to its first position, with its curved arm projecting up throughthe slot of the link.

When the pin is raised its full height, the

forked end of the eurved'arm of the lifter lies .close against thebottom of the link-cavity, so

that the link can be withdrawn without hook- 'ing onto or otherwiseengaging said arm. The link'F, which I rc-enforce at the ends where itis subjected to great wear, is maintained in a position approximatelyhorizontal by a presser or holder, G, which is arranged a I i V ldirectly behindthe coupling-pin in a slot in the draw-head, inwhioh itcan play'np anddown. This holder is supportedby its fixed pendent n-rmg, upon the free end. of a spring,

II, which sustains it in such a manner that its lower end will be j 11stsnfiieiently raised above the bottom of the linlooavit-y that anentering link will readily pass under it by slightly lift iiig it. Thetension of the spring must be adequate to hold the link thus presseddown by the holder Grin n' horizontal position, The

lower end of the holder is rounded or beveled to facilitate the passageof the link under it.

The oouplingq in can, be raised to. disengage the link by means of arod, I, sliding insuitalile guides, and renehing 'to the top of the car,(the car represented being-n freight-oar.) Its lower bent end has alnterelly projecting a-rm, z, capable of reaching under. the forward armof" level-0, by-engaiging which; and lifting the rod, the coupling-pinmay be lifted. 'llms 'dwuvn up the i-oiil'mey be lock'ed'by'n latch,.l', on gagingn notch, 11. Its descc'ntis stopped hy'n, transverse pin,0", above the upper guide; -'lhe end of arm z'oif this rod maynlso'bo'read iLyinserted in an aperture, 9', in the head of holder (l, andthe latter eitherlit'red or do; pressed [or the purpose of tiltingthelink to adapt its protruding end to enter the drawhead of a. mu eitherhigher or lower than the one on which it is carried. A red, K, passingthrough the eye of a standard, K, mounted on theplaitforxn of the car;and reaching outward to near the side thereof, so that a. personstanding on the side of the track can reneh- ,andoperate it, islinked-to the lower end of rod I, and thus the latter may be manipulatedeither from the 'top or the side of the ear in performing the operationsascribed to it. The

roll K slides in the eye of the standard K in vln'inging the arm i ofred I into position,

and also serves as a fulcrum in moving rod I through rod K. I I

What I claim as my invention, and desire to seizure by Letters Patentis- 1. The coupling-pin and lover 0, in combi nation with the link D andthe horizontally- "Witnesses: I

D. l. HOLLOWAY, B. Enw. J. En,s.

